Slytherin Sisters: Part I
by Squirrel Patronus
Summary: Eileen Prince Snape receives an owl from an old school friend and decides to bring nine-year-old Severus for a visit. This chapter is a prologue/intro to a much longer series which takes place mainly during the Marauders era. Eileen and Severus Snape belong to J.K. Rowling; all other characters are mine. Sugar bowl inspried by "The Once and Future King" by T.H. White.


The photograph of the four girls was faded and creased in the right corner. Eileen had blinked at the time the photo was taken and that was what she was staring at now, her dark eyes blinking while Pandora Lloyd-Jones surreptitiously made bunny ears behind her head. On the right Brunella MacInness smirked at the camera. Ethel Carrington took up the left panel of the frame, the one beauty amongst the three plain Janes. She laughed and waved, her coppery hair blowing in the breeze beneath the spidery script that Eileen had written in the top left corner: "Slytherin Sisters. Cornwall, 1954."

She had not looked at this photo in years. It had been tucked away in a shoebox on the top shelf of her closet along with some yellowed newspaper clippings. It was one of those things that she was aware of but had tucked away into the part of her mind with other memories that she wished to keep hidden. The invitation that had arrived by owl yesterday had made her go to the closet and seek out the box.

Ever since she had moved to Spinners' End the owls had come less frequently. It seemed that they had stopped coming all together; the last one had been five years ago. She was startled to see the Long-Eared owl tapping at the kitchen window, a small envelope clutched in its talons. Eileen let it in and gave it the last bit of her toast. She broke the wax seal on the envelope and began to read the letter.

Dear Eileen Princess,

It has been so long since we corresponded, not to mention seen each other. I was thinking of you the other day while I was shopping at Diagon Alley with Winifred, my older daughter. She just received her owl from Hogwarts last week! I am so proud of her! While we were at Flourish and Blotts I remembered how you and I would shop together for books and school supplies in the last summer weeks before school began. Such fun!

I would very much like to see you. Please let me know if you can join my daughters and me for tea this Saturday. Please bring your son, Severus. I look forward to meeting him!

Your Slytherin Sister, Pandora Nott

Eileen read the letter several times before she wrote out a response and sent it back with the owl. When had she last seen Pandora? It was before she had married Tobias. Pandora had recently marrieda family only ceremony at the Ministry of Magic. She had invited Eileen to her new home to meet her husband, Waldimar Nott. Eileen remembered him as a thin, ugly man who was much older than his wife. He had asked Eileen if she was a pure blood. When she had replied that she was, he asked her who her parents were. The meeting had been off-putting and awkward. Waldimar had sipped his tea and stared at Eileen with flat, expressionless eyes. Pandora had been nervous and agitated. Eileen later learned that Waldimar was a blood purist and supporter of Gellert Grindelwald. His younger brother was a sociologist who had written books arguing for muggles to be classified among the lesser species of beasts and advocating for magical folk to marry only their own kind.

* * *

The two girls had met shortly after being sorted into Slytherin. Eileen had sat next to Pandora at the long Slytherin table, which seemed to be over-populated with loutish, noisy boys. Eileen liked the girl's name and quiet manners. Certainly a contrast to the other two Slytherin girls who were in their year.

A tall, thick-set girl with a loud voice was arguing with a second year boy on her left.

"I don't care if Newt Scamander calls it leavings in his book! Shit is shit! I don't understand why people have to make up nice little names for it! Call it what it is!"

The boy looked stunned to hear a girl talk that way and some of the older girls at the table paled. A pretty girl with wavy strawberry blonde hair laughed.

"Oh, Brunella, we've only just been sorted and you're already scandalizing yourself!" She turned and faced Eileen and Pandora. "I'm Ethel Carrington and that potty-mouthed girl is Brunella MacInness. Don't worryher words are the most dangerous thing about her!"

"Words are important, Ethel! Water them down and they lose their power and meaning!" Brunella objected. She smirked at Eileen and Pandora.

Eileen laughed. She liked Brunella's forthrightness and Ethel was the prettiest girl she had ever seen. Four very different girls, but they had all become fast friends. Each was bright, ambitious and cunning in her own way. Slytherin Sisters. That is what Pandora had christened their little foursome that night as they sat on their beds, chatting about themselves, their families and the excitement of attending Hogwarts.

Eileen and Brunella both had older brothers, but Pandora and Ethel were only children. Pandora had grown up on the coast of Cornwall and described the seaside cottage that was her home. Brunella was from Scotland. Her father was a scholar of ancient runes and magical history. He had recently published a new translation ("Uncensored!") of the works of Beedle the Bard. Ethel was the only half-blood among them. Her mother was an actress on the London stage.

"You were raised as a muggle!" Eileen was fascinated. "What does your father do?"

"My parents are separated. I only see my father once a year. He's paying for my education." A fine line appeared in the middle of Ethel's forehead. "He married mum on the sly, made me on the fly, then it was good-bye."

"Well, it must have been a surprise for you when the owl arrived!" Eileen remarked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Oh, it was!" Ethel brightened as she amused her new friends with the story of the Hogwarts owl arriving at the theater where she was watching her mother rehearse.

"Muggle actors already are superstitious about "Macbeth"- they won't even refer to it by name! They call it "The Scottish Play." That owl really scared them to bits!" Ethel laughed as she described the pandemonium. The girls laughed with her.

* * *

"Severus, stop lagging! Keep up with me!"

Eileen glared at her son who was shuffling behind her on the dusty road. His hands were jammed into his pockets and he was scowling in the bright sunshine. He had put up quite a fight about accompanying her to her friend's house.

"I don't want to go!"

"You're going. Pandora Nott is one of my oldest friends. She specifically requested that I bring you along."

"I didn't think that you had any friends," he said, dark eyes flashing. "I don't want to go! It will be a complete waste of a summer Saturday!"

"Oh, and what will you do here all alone on a Saturday? Annoy your father? Sit upstairs in your room and mope?" She had him there. He had no friends and his idle boredom during the summer when school was out was a big concern to Eileen. No telling what type of trouble he could get into.

"Pandora has two daughters. The younger one is your age."

"You didn't tell me that her children were girls! I'm definitely not going!" he cried.

He reluctantly cooperated after she had made several threats and followed through on them. He got the message, but was paying her back with one of his foul moods.

Eileen sighed. He was her son. Moody, sour and vindictive. He had sulked silently as she attempted to tie a muggle tie on him. She gave up and used her wand. She could not find a jacket that fit him, but the day was warm. She hoped that the patches on the elbows of his "best" shirt were not that noticeable. His shoes had caused their biggest argument that morning. He had wanted to wear trainers, but she had insisted on black oxfords. They were too tight on him and he was intentionally dragging his feet on the dusty road, doing his best to scuff them. His hair hung about his face in limp, greasy strands. Tobias had not paid the utility bills and there was no hot water in the house.

"This way, Severus!" Eileen saw the familiar copse of elm trees. To muggle eyes it was a thick, shady copse. To witches and wizards there was definitely a visible tunnel in the trees, leading up to a path.

"Look, there's the house! See, that wasn't such a long walk!"

Severus gaped at the house. It was two full stories, made of grey stone with a gabled roof. The diamond paned windows glittered in the sun. Ten stone steps led up to a large black door with a silver crescent moon knocker.

"How many people live in this house?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Nott and their two daughters. Come!"

Eileen walked up the steps and gave three sharp raps with the knocker. The door swung open and a pair of pale, bulbous eyes stared up at them.

"Gah! What the hell is that?" Severus shouted pointing at the house elf which stared balefully at them. Eileen silently cursed herself for not preparing himshe had completely forgotten that the Notts had a house elf.

"I'm Eileen Snape," she told the elf. "This is my son, Severus."

"Mistress and the young misses are expecting you. Follow me." The elf looked Eileen and Severus over, sniffed, and gestured them into the hallway. The interior of the house was dark and cool. The hallway had a marble floor and dark green wallpaper. Paintings of ancestors scoffed and whispered as Eileen and Severus followed the elf down a corridor. He opened a heavy wooden door and led them into a brightly lit room.

"Mrs. Snape and her son have arrived, Mistress."

"Thank you, Murk. You can bring in the tea." The elf gave a stiff bow and left the room, wrinkling his nose as he passed Eileen and Severus.

Pandora stood and held out her arms to Eileen.

"Eileen, Princess," she said softly as she hugged her friend. Eileen awkwardly hugged her back. She was not a physically affectionate person and was uncomfortable with these displays. Pandora must have sensed that, because she quickly released Eileen and turned to the two little girls at her side.

"These are my daughters, Winifred and Wendoline. We call them Winnie and Wendy."

The two girls made short, proper curtsies as she said their names. Winnie was eleven, Wendy was nine. They were not pretty girls. Both were skinny with light brown hair. Winnie's hair hung in two braids down her back. Her long, thin face was irritable. Wendy was curly haired and had a small gap between her two front teeth, like her mother. Her brown eyes twinkled and she stared at the Snapes with interest.

Eileen shook hands with the girls and turned to Severus.

"This is my son, Severus. He will be ten in January."

Severus stared at the Notts, but said nothing. Eileen felt her face grow warm and prodded her thumbnail into his back. He offered a limp hand to Pandora, who gently shook it.

"I am pleased to finally meet you, Severus. Your mother sent me a photo of you when you were a baby, but nothing more recent. You look like your Uncle Hieronymous!"

"Who?" Severus asked in surprise.

Pandora realized her mistake and turned to Eileen, ignoring Severus' question.

"I hope that the trip wasn't too strenuous, Eileen."

"Not at all. Thank you for telling me about the port key on the river bank." An old boot, barely visible amongst the rubble cluttering the banks of the river flowing through Cokeworth, had transported them to Pandora's village in a matter of minutes. It was convenient, but the experience had made Severus slightly nauseous.

Eileen glanced about the room. The walls were a beautiful pale blue and lace curtains hung in the windows. Paintings of the Cornish coast adorned the walls, as did shelves which held different types of seashells. There was an oil portrait of Pandora as a young girl in a seashell frame. She stood ankle deep in the surf, kicking up a spray of sea foam. Under a large glass bell a cluster of coral undulated, even though there was no water.

"Is that a nautilus shell?" Severus pointed to the large spiral on top of a curio cabinet. The shell disappeared and reappeared in Wendy's hands.

"Wendy! What did I tell you about handling that! It's fragile!"

"I'm sorry, Mother. I didn't mean to-it just happened."

"That's all right, darling. No harm." Pandora smiled. "These occurrences have been happening more frequently. Wendy takes a liking to something and suddenly finds that she's in possession of it. I've been trying to teach her how to control her thoughts better."

"That happens to me, too." Severus said. He walked over to Wendy and ran his finger over the ridges of the nautilus.

"There are some other things in this cabinet which might interest you, Severus. Alohomora!" Pandora waved her wand in front of the curio cabinet. The doors opened up and the inner cabinets unfolded, revealing other drawers which contained various natural treasures behind glass. The children clustered around it.

"Is that the same curio cabinet from your parents' house?" Eileen stared at the display in stunned recognition.

"Yes. You remember it?"

* * *

"Alohomora!" Llewellyn Lloyd-Jones waved his wand in front of the lacquered curio cabinet. The doors opened and a series of drawers sprang forth, opening to reveal various compartments under glass. Eileen stared at the specimens in wonder. There were dried flowers from the Amazon and Africa which she had only read about in her Herbology and Potions books. Hooves, feathers and antlers from rare magical beasts. Eggs from the Irish Phoenix and the Flooper. Gemstones which held powerful magic. All types of magical flora and fauna from around the world.

"My life's work, young ladies!" Mr. Lloyd-Jones was a magical naturalist. Pandora had invited her friends to her parents' home for the Easter holidays. Eileen loved the cottage. It was deceptively small from the outside, but the interior rooms were large and airy. Most of the rooms had been decorated in a spare but elegant fashion by Pandora's mother. By contrast her father's study was gloriously cluttered.

"You will find samples of plants and beasts from all seven continents, including Antarctica! Some of them were devilishly hard to come by"

"Don't bore them, Daddy!" Pandora cried.

"Stop it, Panda, this is fascinating! What in Merlin's name is that?" Eileen pointed to a large, curved object that looked like a dried out gourd.

"Ah, that is phallus unicornus," Mr. Lloyd-Jones replied. He was smiling broadly, enjoying some sort of private joke.

"Oh, unicorn penis!" Brunella exclaimed. Pandora gasped but her father laughed.

"I can see that you are your father's daughter! Can anyone tell me the magical properties of this part of the creature's anatomy?"

"It restores virility to elderly men and is used in potions to aid maladies of the loins," Eileen volunteered.

"Precisely! You know your potions well, Eileen!"

Eileen blushed with pride. She turned her attention back to the curio cabinet. How she would have loved to live in this house, with all of these magical ingredients. The potions she could brew!

"How is your father?" Eileen inquired.

"Not well. He has been in St. Mungo's for a year now. His health deteriorated after Mother died. I would have kept him here, but Waldimar did not think that was a good idea. Ah, here's tea!"

The elf had brought in tea while they were admiring the curio cabinet. Severus stared wide-eyed at the pyramids of sandwiches and tea cakes. He had eaten charred toast and weak tea for breakfast. Tea at his house usually consisted of more weak tea and stale biscuits from the grocer's.

The fine white china had a pattern of intertwining green and silver leaves. This was Pandora's one nod to Slytherin. She was mortally afraid of snakes.

* * *

"Why is our House symbol the serpent?" Pandora had complained. "I know that Salazar Slytherin was a parseltongue, but the eagle and the lion are so much nicer!"

"The serpent is the sign of wisdom!" Eileen countered. "Be ye therefore wise as serpents."

"I like the badger!" Ethel volunteered. "Badger was my favorite character in _The Wind in the Willows_."

"What's that?" Eileen asked.

* * *

"It's a wonderful book! My mother read it to me when I was little. You should read it, Eileen!"

"Did you ever read _The Wind in the Willows_ to your girls?" Eileen asked Pandora.

"I'm not familiar with that book. Is it any good?"

"I don't know," Eileen sighed. She had never gotten around to reading it.

"How do you like your tea, Severus?" Pandora asked him. "Cream and sugar?"

The silver sugar and creamer waddled over on their stumpy legs to Severus. The sugar bowl removed its cap and held out the tongs. Severus stared at it.

"It wants to know how many you want!" Wendy told him.

"Four please!"

"Severus!" Eileen was stunned. "That will make the tea much too sweet."

"Oh, Eileen, if he wants four, let him! I see that you like the sandwiches, Severus!"

Eileen looked at her son. He had simultaneously stuffed three cucumber sandwiches into his mouth and was grabbing a handful of petit fours. Wendy grinned. Winnie frowned in disgust.

Eileen bit her lip. She gave her son a swift kick under the table.

"What?" Severus glared at her, his lips covered with icing. Eileen raised her right eyebrow at him and turned to Winnie.

"I heard that you recently received your invitation to Hogwarts, Winnie."

"Yes!" Winnie preened, happy to be the focus of attention. "Mother and I bought all of my books and supplies last week. My wand is yew with a dragon heart string. I cannot wait to see Hogwarts! I hope that I am sorted into Slytherin!"

"If the Sorting Hat considers you worthy of Slytherin," Severus said coldly.

"Severus!"

"I'm sure that you will be sorted into Slytherin, darling," Pandora said. "The Hat usually sorts people into the same House as their other family members and your father and I were both in Slytherin. Although my father was in Ravenclaw." Pandora sipped her tea, her face blank, lost for a moment in her own thoughts.

"Speaking of sorting, I found this the other day." Eileen reached into her bag and pulled out the large envelope. She removed the photograph and handed it to Pandora.

"Your mother took this picture with my camera when we were at your house for the Easter holidays. Do you remember?"

Pandora stared at the photograph.

"Winnie, Wendy, take Severus to the Prewetts' farm so that he can see the animals. "

Severus and Winnie grimaced. They certainly did not want to go, but it was an order, not a suggestion. Wendy was the only one who was enthusiastic.

"Come, Severus! Mrs. Prewett let me feed the baby lamb with a bottle the other daymaybe you can do the same! The old sow is wretched, but the piglets are very cute!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the room. Winnie followed, her face sour.

Pandora traced her finger over Eileen's script.

"Slytherin Sisters. I remember that week. What a glorious time we had! I had never been so happy!"

"Me too," Eileen said. "I don't think that I've been happy since that time."

She waited for Pandora to respond, but her friend said nothing as she continued to stare at the photograph. Her face was again blank, her thoughts unreadable. Had she ever been happy after that time? Had any of them considering what happened after graduation? Eileen slowly sipped her tea, watching her friend's face as the memories of a spring holiday week, long suppressed, flooded her mind.


End file.
